Mel Frykberg

Mel Frykberg writes for Inter Press Service.

Israelis Target Medical Teams

JELAZON, West Bank — Fourteen-year-old Muhammad Nayif’s mother broke down as she spoke to IPS. Nayif died after being shot three times in the chest by Israeli soldiers Monday night. Palestinian medical personnel who tried to reach the critically injured boy near the Jelazon refugee camp north of Ramallah were threatened at gunpoint by Israeli … Continue reading “Israelis Target Medical Teams”

East Jerusalem Shuts Out Thousands of Palestinians on Holy Day

QALANDIA, West Bank – The future of East Jerusalem and of Palestinian access to it has again been brought under the spotlight. Thousands of Palestinians were turned away at West Bank checkpoints leading into Jerusalem by Israeli security forces as they tried to attend Friday Ramadan prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. IPS witnessed dozens of heavily … Continue reading “East Jerusalem Shuts Out Thousands of Palestinians on Holy Day”

Israeli Settlers Push Palestinians to Sleep on the Street

EAST JERUSALEM – Israel’s continued policy of Judaizing East Jerusalem in order to establish facts on the ground before the future of that part of the city is decided has left dozens of Palestinians homeless and sleeping on the streets. Hundreds more are at risk, amid allegations of document forgery by Israeli settlers who have … Continue reading “Israeli Settlers Push Palestinians to Sleep on the Street”

Embattled Hamas Shows its Moderate Face

RAMALLAH – The Islamic resistance movement Hamas’s rule of Gaza is facing protracted political and military opposition from within Gaza, other Palestinian territories and abroad. On Saturday a guerrilla group put down the fiercest military challenge to Hamas rule since it took over the coastal territory in the June 2007 coup when it overthrew a … Continue reading “Embattled Hamas Shows its Moderate Face”

Tensions Rise on Israel’s North

RAMALLAH – The war of words between Israel and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has heated up in the last week, raising fears that another war between Lebanon and Israel is imminent. On Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Lebanese government that it would be held responsible for any attacks on Israeli targets … Continue reading “Tensions Rise on Israel’s North”

Peace in Balance as Fatah Fights for Survival

BETHLEHEM — Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is fighting for its very survival as the movement faces implosion, and attacks from all sides. The issues have come to the fore at the sixth revolutionary council of the party that began in Bethlehem Tuesday. In turn the survival of the Fatah-affiliated … Continue reading “Peace in Balance as Fatah Fights for Survival”

Gaza’s Traumatized Children Struggle to Rise Again

BREJ, Gaza — Tens of thousands of children in Gaza are still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following Israel’s three-week bombing December-January. Several crisis counseling teams run by international organizations and NGOs have been carrying out intervention program aimed at helping Gaza’s most vulnerable put the pieces of their lives back together. But … Continue reading “Gaza’s Traumatized Children Struggle to Rise Again”

Two Police States, No Solution

What remains of Palestinian civil rights is rapidly being eroded by the dictatorial Palestinian governments that respectively control the divided Palestinian territories. Palestinian civilians are paying the price as the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and the Fatah-affiliated and western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules the West Bank, continue to target … Continue reading “Two Police States, No Solution”

Rampaging Settlers Shatter Fragile Calm

RAMALLAH — The northern Palestinian West Bank is turning into a flashpoint as Israeli settlers continue to attack Palestinian civilians and their property as part of a "price tag" policy. On Tuesday Walid Assaf, a Palestinian Legislative Council member, was injured after Israeli settlers near the northern West Bank city Qalqilya threw a rock through … Continue reading “Rampaging Settlers Shatter Fragile Calm”

Israeli Spy Ring Threatens Fragile Peace

RAMALLAH – The UN Security Council has warned that the existence of a large Israeli-run espionage network in Lebanon could threaten a fragile peace established between the two countries following the end of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. Lebanon’s citizens and its security establishment have been rocked by the arrest of over 30 Lebanese military and … Continue reading “Israeli Spy Ring Threatens Fragile Peace”